The Substitute's Triumph

Chapter 1-----The eternal crush Returns with a Baby When I find Joe, he's supposed to be on a business trip in Los Angeles, but instead, he's in a luxurious hotel suite with his eternal crush, Rosy, cozying up to each other. "Yura, what are you doing here?" Joe looks shocked when he sees me, frantically grabbing the blanket to cover himself. Rosy, beside him, snuggles even closer, feigning innocence. "Joe, you've been cheating on me, and now you've even gone so far as to get her pregnant. How could you do this to me?" I wipe my tear from the corner of my eye and shout. Instead of feeling guilty, Joe gets angry. "Yura, please know your place. You're just a substitute for Rosy." At this moment, Rosy starts crying pitifully. "I'm sorry, Joe. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be arguing with Yura..." She curls up in Joe's arms, looking utterly pathetic. "I don't want any title. I just want to be with Joe." With that, Rosy starts crying even more dramatically. If I weren't her university schoolmate, I might have fallen for her act. I met Joe in university, but he had a crush on Rosy, the campus belle. But back then, Joe was penniless, and Rosy wouldn't even give him a glance. No matter how much Joe pursued her, Rosy only saw him as a backup. The same went for her other suitors. Rosy wasn't satisfied with just a few admirers; she also lured away other guys who had girlfriends. The girls whose boyfriends were stolen were too afraid to speak up because of Rosy's status on campus. Several girls even jumped off buildings, unable to bear the pain. But there was no evidence linking Rosy to those incidents, so in the end, the girls were blamed for being too fragile. Later, Rosy went abroad with a wealthy second-generation heir and disappeared without a trace. Because I bore a resemblance to Rosy, after she left, Joe pursued me relentlessly. Although Joe was poor, he was talented. And for some reason, we got married after graduation. Joe was quite ambitious. A year after our marriage, the company we founded started making huge profits. And then, out of nowhere, Rosy returned and got in touch with Joe. Just then, I receive a text message on my phone. I smile faintly. Finally, I don't have to play along with them anymore. "You don't want a title, do you?" I walk slowly in front of Rosy, a smile on my face. Joe looks at me warily. "Yura, what do you want to do?" "Since you don't want a title, I'll give you one anyway. Joe, let's get a divorce." I sigh. They didn't expect me to say that. Joe is clearly stunned for a moment before he speaks. "Are you serious?" "Of course, I am." As genuine as gold. Because I'm taking the initiative to step aside and make way for Joe and Rosy, he feels a bit guilty. "I'll compensate you for anything you want." "Would you be willing to give me the company?" I ask him with a smile. Joe, who just said he'd compensate me with anything, changes his expression instantly. "Anything but the company." "Then give me ten million dollars. I'll also give you the company shares." I change my mind. Joe grits his teeth. "Fine, it's a deal." On the day we sign the divorce agreement, Joe keeps his promise and transfers ten million dollars to my account. Joe, no longer being humble, spits out, "A substitute is just a substitute. Such a bitch." "You're right. She's a bitch." Joe used to resemble him a bit, but now he now makes me sick. He's right. No matter how good a substitute is, he can never compare to the real eternal crush.